The most frustrating thing in Astronomy ?

[Zermelo]

50 minutes ago, saac said:

Roll on retirement

... by which time your eyes are a shadow of their youthful selves.

We need our chronology and our careers in antiphase.

[saac]

2 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

... by which time your eyes are a shadow of their youthful selves.

We need our chronology and our careers in antiphase.

Reminds me of the movie "The Curious Life Of Benjamin Button"

Jim

[Astro Noodles]

7 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

... by which time your eyes are a shadow of their youthful selves.

We need our chronology and our careers in antiphase.

I'm not sure about that. All the horrible mistakes we have made in our lives will be in the future. 😬

[Ags]

My beautifully crafted, home-made wooden eyepiece case has slots for 12 eyepieces. However I rethink my eyepiece collection, I always end up "needing" 13 eyepieces!

[Mognet]

The build up and let down of weather forecasts! Clear Outside promised a clear night tonight. I saw solid cloud come over at sunset and it's still not gone. CO has changed its mind since. Currently saying clear tomorrow night too, but I'll believe it when I see it

It's not my only gripe, just one of a long list of things

[Zermelo]

10 hours ago, Mognet said:

The build up and let down

the weather forecasts - just like following a mediocre football team: it's the hope that kills you

[barbulo]

In order:

1. Non flat images 
2. Weather
3. Light pollution in all its forms (satellite trails included)
4. Work (night shifts)

Number one annoys me the most by far. The others simply can't be avoided.

[cajen2]

Trying to find faint objects in a light-polluted sky, especially when my neighbours suddenly decide they need their bathroom light on all night.

[Astroscot2]

At the moment not being able to buy certain bits of kit for many months. No stock and no timescales.I understand completely the supply chain issues but it is frustrating. 

[Chaz2b]

The cost! If I’m going to sit outside for eons waiting, at least I should have something incredibly engineered to look at!

I like to dabble and tinker ( you’ll find both of those are legal ), I get to understand what the designers were thinking, but not neccessarily what I was thinking so I have fun tinkering.

All the other gripes, clouds , alignment with social life etc are sufficiently spaced that I get to gaze at least once a year🤪

chaz

[DaveS]

The moon. The number of clear nights trashed by the Devil's Lightbulb is beyond a joke.

[SteveNickolls]

The weather = 30+ nights for imaging per year, light pollution and getting older such that I prefer an early night over a late finish. But keep on smiling during those nights when it's great to be outside. 😄

Cheers,

Stdve

Edited May 12, 2022 by SteveNickolls

[Paz]

I think the weather is the main thing. I've been doing this for maybe 8 years or so but in that time the weather has always been poor (i.e. mostly cloudy), so I don't know any better. I quickly stopped trying to plan sessions and after that went to work on the art of astronomy opportunism and not holding any expectations about the weather or the observing conditions and I've been fine ever since!

[SuburbanMak]

Cloudy nights at the weekend followed by clear ones in the busiest part of the week - multiply frustration 10 fold if the above applies over new moon. 

That’s all countered by those sessions where everything goes right! 

Edited May 8, 2022 by SuburbanMak

[tomato]

I agree, for all of the myriad of frustrations mentioned in this thread, they never get me down for long and are quickly forgotten when I’m able to get an image done.

[Mandy D]

Definitely the British weather, especially clouds. We went to France for the 1999 total solar eclipse in the mistaken belief that this would remove the problem and found a lovely spot to set up, with not a cloud in sight. Until ... a few moments before totality when clouds started forming right next to the Sun with it too late to move. The Sun remained blocked out for the duration of totality with the clouds completely dissipating within a couple of minutes of it ending! So, it's not just Britain where the weather screws up our observing!

[jjohnson3803]

Ahhhh, so many things...  😁

Clouds / cold / wind - can't do anything about that except move to another location.

Chronically incorrect weather forecasts - aviation forecasts seem to be the most accurate, but even they're not perfect.

Light pollution - both general urban and neighbors who leave lights blazing all night long.  I yearn for power outages.

Short summer nights - I'm an early riser and my body just won't change.  When twilight starts at 0400, there's not a whole lot of time to observe deep sky before dawn unless I get up *really* early.  I am trying to slowly acclimate to staying up later, but it's a slog.

Full moons - the moon should only be allowed quarter phases at most.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2022 by jjohnson3803

[Astro Noodles]

10 minutes ago, jjohnson3803 said:

Full moons - the moon should only be allowed quarter phases at most.

I agree with that. Why is it that whenever there is a few cloudless nights it's ruined by a full moon? Maybe Elon Musk or somebody could go up there and paint it matt black.

[Ags]

1 hour ago, Astro Noodles said:

Maybe Elon Musk or somebody could go up there and paint it matt black.

Please don't give him ideas!

Anyway the Moon is actually pretty dark - apparently it has the albedo of worn asphalt. It has an albedo of 0.12, which compares quite well with something really dark like charcoal (0.04).

They probably will paint it black or tow it away eventually - the light of a full Moon will detract too much from the shining orbital advertisements they'll be putting up soon

Edited May 11, 2022 by Ags

[Astro Noodles]

I suppose we're stuck with it then. 😁

[Marvin Jenkins]

I find a small avenue in this amazing pastime really frustrating.

John Dobson was an advocate of getting out there and bringing astronomy to non astronomers.

I have several friends and many acquaintances that gush and wax lyrical about seeing the heavens, but when I offer to bring the scope over, or they come to the scope you watch them drift away with excuses of baby sitting grand children etc.

I have one friend who insists on talking astro, even owns a small frac, but clearly doesn’t use it as when I ask him about a clear night I get silence.

It my be my approach but I have gone so subtle with an invitation that it was almost a black ops.

My friend with the frac has a client that wants to get into astro, so he mentioned me as a guy to help (no money involved)

First contact, the person concerned who has no astro background at all wants a permanent obs!

I talk to client and the lead time is over a year which is good. I suggest buying a good set of binoculars to start the journey. The reply is “How is that supposed to show my family and friends the night sky?”

Wow, when was that mentioned? I have a lot of respect for late JD but after this I recommend he buy a 4k ultra TV and show everyone HST pictures off the internet.

I soo wanted to help someone into astro, and I realised what they are talking about is just one word..

Entertainment.

[callisto]

Looking at all those 4" Tak's and not being able to buy one....not yet anyway 😈

[Sunshine]

Without a doubt the constant yearning for that next "better" scope and, the realization that funds do not allow for it all the time.

It's a disease.

[M40]

After reading the above and not spotting it anywhere in any topic, I am clearly alone in being frustrated at being bitten/stung by nighttime biting flying things. No matter how much stuff I cover myself in, if they don't get me straight away, they get me later after having hitched a ride indoors on me. My family love me coming round at outdoor "events", they know they don't have to worry about being bitten, I am a biting flying thing magnet. I know that roughly 18hours after I get bitten, it starts itching...... and itching...

Did I mention being bitten? 

[Ratlet]

The entire southern hemisphere.

Im at 58° north and it just feels that there is so much in the southern hemisphere that I can't and will never be able to see.